


a feat, a foe, a (boy)friend

by dyekanma



Category: Original Work
Genre: Getting Together, M/M, Roommates, pure fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-23
Updated: 2019-01-23
Packaged: 2019-10-15 04:52:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17522303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dyekanma/pseuds/dyekanma
Summary: Alek is gone as hell for Eden, but Alek thinks Eden is clueless. But is he, really?





	a feat, a foe, a (boy)friend

Alek enters the room he shares with Eden and frowns. He has a sickly sense of dread for some reason as he watches him fix his hair. He’s conflicted. Still. 

A while ago, he’s confessed his deep feelings for someone else, and only recently, has he started to turn his attention towards his roommate, Eden. It was all thanks to his dreams that he’s started to feel this way. The ones where he wakes up with his heart still thrumming with pinpricks of flutters and all he can remember is the outline of glasses and short hair that so charmingly falls over a beautifully pale face. It’s haunting.

He blinks, coming out of his reverie as he passes Eden. They greet each other minimally, same as always. Except for this time, Eden is calling Alek into the bathroom to help with his hair. They’ve become more intimate and close with each other recently, so much so that touches that would’ve normally bothered Eden have no effect on him anymore. It’s scary, especially when those touches quicken your heartbeat while the other person has no idea.

“Come use your magic fingers, mister writing major. Maybe using your fingers to type all day will work wonders into making my hair  _not_  look like crap for once,” Eden jokes, a laugh peppering his features and making his eyes crinkle cutely. Alek sighs, rolling his eyes and setting his bookbag in the same place he does on his side of the room, padding into the bathroom with his slightly dirty brown boots. 

Normally, Eden would be  _pissed_  if Alek came into their clean bathroom with shoes like that on. But now, he’s not upset. He just has raised eyebrows, holding out a comb and sitting on the stool he dragged in there. He thought if he bought a stool for the bathroom, it’d be more like a vanity room, one that looks like their friend Kito’s, whose makeup skills surpass everything farther than a simple smoky eye. Alek admires her. Eden couldn’t care less, says he focuses on his own looks rather than someone else’s. Alek, having no art skills himself, admires the art of the brush, whether it’s been held by a beautiful boy with feathery eyelashes, looking up at him through his shaggy hair, or a good friend with questionable moral standing sometimes.

Alek grabs the comb, raking it through Eden’s hair haphazardly. He’s used to doing things like this, especially when Eden is dyeing his hair. It’s so often that he touches Eden’s hair that he doesn’t even think about it anymore. Eden, like he always does, closes his eyes in bliss. Says he likes it when someone plays with his hair or runs hands through it. Alek abandons the comb then, placing it on the counter in front of them and runs his fingers through it, smiling a little when he hears a relaxed sigh slip out of Eden’s mouth. He’s never done something like this.

“My typing hands working wonders for your relaxation?” Alek asks between laughs, smoothing his fingers over Eden’s scalp and combing it upwards with his fingers. Eden hums in approval at Alek’s question, and before long, Alek has created slight volume up top. He then uses his fingers to twist some strands up and over to the right, where they look more natural. He likes it better when Eden has his hair in a quiff, it masculinizes his face more and makes him look sharper, which Alek can’t quite resist. He looks stunning no matter what, but when Eden sports a quiff, it always reminds Alek that he’s  _super gay_.

Eden giggles then, a quiet tinkle of laughter that someone who is a stranger to him would miss, but is something that Alek picks up on very quickly. “Open your eyes,” Alek requests. Eden opens those gorgeous blue eyes and sees the mess his hair has become and smiles slightly. 

“I kinda like it. I don’t know, you do some weird shit, but it’s always like magic when you’re done. Even with my color. It looks a little bit better if you’re squirting the dye shit into my hair and massaging it in.”

“Just admit you like it when I play with your hair, no matter what,” Alek teases, ruffling it a little bit and feigning ruining his work already. Eden pouts. 

“Fuck off. But actually don’t fuck off, just fix it a little.” 

Alek chuckles and picks up the comb again. “Yes, as you wish, my prince.”

Eden laughs and then lets Alek work his magic. When he’s done, it frames Eden’s face the way Alek really likes. He takes some time to pretend he isn’t done with it yet and just combs Eden’s hair as he watches his face.  _Beautiful,_ he thinks.  _Just so ethereal. How does he get his skin to look so flawless all the time? How is he always so amazing?_

When Alek thinks he’s being a stealth gay, he looks at Eden’s eyes and finds him staring back at him.  _Shit, I’m caught._  So Alek goes back to combing Eden’s hair, humming a song he’s been obsessed with recently low under his breath so he can distract himself. Eden’s face is like a magnet for his eyes. Every chance he gets, he has to look at him. But when he’s caught like this, embarrassed red face and all, there’s really nothing he can do but pretend like it didn’t happen and hopefully he can feel the burn of Eden’s eyes off of him. 

Eden clicks his tongue; it’s something he doesn’t do often. That worries Alek.

“Alek, can I ask you something?” 

Alek gulps. Steels himself. Wills his voice not to crack. “Sure.”  _Bingo, no voice crack. You go, Alek._

“Do you like me?”

If a mirror could dramatically crack at this very moment, that would reflect how Alek felt about that very question.  _Do you like me?_ It rings in his head like a cacophony of anxiety, molten lead filling his body as he wills himself to just be numb. Numb, so he can’t feel the fear squeezing itself through his bones and clenching his heart. 

Instead of addressing it, Alek’s anxiety wills himself to be quiet. Welds his throat shut. Frozen. Keep combing Eden’s hair.  _Everything will be fine if you pretend nothing will happen._

Eden huffs, an impatient sort of sigh that is laced with disappointment and anger.  _Oh, no. Anger?_  Eden’s anger was something that always gave Alek anxiety, always made him worried. Because it was something he didn’t know how to handle. Because once Eden is angry at Alek, there are no more words exchanged. Alek is shut out, given the silent treatment until Eden affirms that everything is okay within his own head.

He’s always been like that. Personality first, feelings later. In fact, feelings never. He pretends he doesn’t have any, that he’s a robot, and when feelings actually happen, complain that they’re there. Alek’s always been wary of people like that, said he’d never fall for someone like that.

But here he is now, worried and looking to Eden’s trimmed eyebrows as if they have the answer to everything.  _Fuck, why are they so perfect!?_

Alek’s hand continues its ministrations of making sure that every strand of Eden’s hair is ideally placed. He goes in to comb another section when he feels heat envelop his wrist. His hand is stopped. He can’t go in to comb another part of Eden’s hair. Because Eden’s hand is wrapped around Alek’s wrist, very loosely. As if not to hurt him, but with enough force to halt his agenda. 

“You know, you can tell me the truth. I’d rather you do that than not say anything.” His voice sounds kind of broken. Maybe laced with sadness.

Alek sighs painfully. “I can’t. My answer will change everything. Depending on what I say, your view of me, our friendship, everything will be jeopardized. And it’ll all be my fault. So I’d rather not.”

Eden huffs, wrenching his eyebrows into something that looks rather painful and strenuous, but something that looks like he wants to get a point across. “And depending on my answer to your answer, everything will be fine. You know I’m a very judgemental person, but when it comes to stuff like this, I just want to know. I want to hear it from you.”

Alek sighs, trying to lift his hand and continue to comb Eden’s hair.  _Ignore. Don’t answer._  And that’s when the other boy seems to snap. He gets up, faster than Alek’s eyes can even register, and pushes Alek up against the wall, comb clattering to the ground.

“Goddammit, do I really have to be the asshole right now!? I read your journal. Not because I wanted to. Because I felt like you were acting different recently, and I wanted to know what it was because of. I wanted to help you, wanted to fix things. But it was because you like me.”

Alek’s face twists into a face of betrayal. He feels sick to his stomach. Less dread than when he walked into the room. More sickly. “You went through my shit!? What the fuck, Eden!?”

“I was worried about you,  _you absolute asshat!_ Why you didn’t tell me, is it because you’re ashamed?  _Really?_  Because you professed your love to Finn and you feel bad about liking me? Because you _think_  you love that guy, and it feels like betrayal?” 

Alek clenches his jaw, looking away from Eden’s eyes. He doesn’t want to look at him right now. “I don’t  _think_ I love this guy. _I do._  Finn is my world and liking you, it feels wrong. You like that other guy, you’re  _enamored_  with him and I wouldn’t want to come between anything like that. I’m not that kind of guy. And we wouldn’t work anyways. I can’t read you at all, can never know what you’re feeling, and that terrifies me. You won’t talk to me when you’re angry, and whenever you’re depressed or sad, it shatters my heart because I have no idea how to help you or cheer you up! I don’t understand you. At all, Eden. And you won’t help me to. And it legitimately makes me upset.”

Tears prick at the edges of Alek’s eyes, and he knows resisting the talk between Eden and him will make Eden upset, and he doesn’t want to deal with that later. Especially considering his own feelings right now.

“What about how I feel, Alek? Huh? Ever think of that? I-”

“No, because you pretend you don’t have feelings! And when I ask you for elaboration, you’re not willing to tell me. So how _the fuck_ am I supposed to know how you feel, Eden?  _Please_ , educate me. I’d love to know!”

Alek sees Eden lick his lips in the corner of his eye. He’s still not looking at him.

“Well, I’m going to tell you, Alek. And I want you to look at me for this, for fuck’s sake.”

Alek, on the verge of tears, look into eyes that mirror his own. The blue eyes that are also close to tears. 

“That guy you’re talking about? He wasn’t willing to go slow with me. Even after we talked about it. So excuse me for not telling you that. But I have issues going all in, with relationships, you know that. And knowing that probably isn’t making it any easier liking me. But I feel like if I heard you say that you liked me, it might make it more real. And I want to know. Honestly, Alek.” His eyes have a sense of pleading in them, and it pries open the doors in Alek’s heart that has been shielded for most of the time of this talk.

“I do. Eden, I like you.”

Eden sighs then, choking back a sob. “Fuck, hearing it didn’t do anything to make that heart flipping thing go away. Goddammit Alek, I thought you would’ve at least picked up on my feelings since I’ve been letting you feel up my hair and hug me more than usual. I’ve been letting you in, slowly but surely, and you haven’t picked up on a thing, mister “I can read everyone’s emotions”.”

Alek’s eyes widen, a tear slipping out of one of them. Almost immediately, Eden uses the back of his right hand and tenderly rubs it down Alek’s cheek to catch the tear. “Gotcha,” he peeps, with a small chuckle peppered in between the whisper.

“You’re joking,” Alek says disbelievingly. 

Eden shakes his head fervently back and forth. “I’m afraid I’m not. Feelings really are _that bitch_ , and unfortunately, I’ve caught them for you, Alek Direr.” 

Alek’s whole body, on edge from fear, dread, sickness, and anxiety, shakes with sobs as he falls into Eden’s arms. Eden catches him, holding him up against his chest. Alek has always known that Eden sucks at comforting people, but with a hand caressing his back and rubbing it lovingly, he’s sure that there’s no other grander need for comfort Eden could provide. That’s enough.

“Hey, hey, why are you crying!?” Eden asks alarmingly. He’s afraid that he upset Alek.

Alek laughs, pulling away and wiping his tears away quickly. “I’m not sad if that’s what you’re thinking. I think my body just lost all the negative feelings and was so overwhelmed with happiness that I just started crying, that’s all.”

Eden looks shocked. “There’s no way anyone can feel all of those things.”

Alek just laughs. “You’d be surprised. I’m a crazy ball of feelings. It’s a miracle I can even make it day to day.”

Eden purses his lips. “Maybe I don’t understand you either, after all.”

“Willing to try?” Alek challenges.

“Maybe. You willing to try?” Eden quips back.

“If I’m given the opportunity, I’d like to. At whatever pace you want.”

“Cool,” Eden says casually, pretending to turn around and continue the combing of his hair.

“Hey, you can’t just do that to me!”

“Do what!?” Eden questions, furrowing his brows.

“Turn around on me and pretend we didn’t just have a crazy confession! This is supposed to be a romance movie, Eden, where the main couple has a happy ending and they kiss and-”

“Fuck, I forgot you’re such a hopeless romantic. But maybe it isn’t so hopeless. Was this just all a ruse to get me to kiss you, Alek?”

Just then, Alek freezes, face turning beet red as his eyes guiltily dart towards Eden’s lips.

“Knew it,” Eden says knowingly, leaning in and pecking Alek’s lips innocently. “Don’t know if I’m ready for the movie magic of passionate open-mouthed kisses though.”

“T-T-That’s fine with me!”

Eden laughs, picking up the comb and walking out of the bathroom, sitting in his chair and starting up his Xbox. “My hair looks good, though, babe! Thanks!”

Alek keeps burning red as he turns off the bathroom light, eyeing the comb on Eden’s dresser as he passes by and sits on his bed. Watching his, what, boyfriend? Significant other? The person who he just confessed to? play video games.

Whatever. Who needs a label anyways when you’ve got an ethereal boy with artificial hair looking at you shyly through his feather-light eyelashes, hearts darting out of his eyes at alarming speeds? 


End file.
